Waiting For The Night
by xXBalorBabeXx
Summary: "There is a sound in the calm. Someone is coming to harm. I press my hands to my ears, it's easier here just to forget fear..." Truths have a way of surfacing. If the lies had never formed, just what exactly would change? (AU from July 30th 2018 episode, OC x OC romance.)
1. Right & Wrong Are A Grey Area Sometimes

_**A/N: The baby switch storyline (Which has dragged on too long!) will not happen here in this story. Anything from here on out is non canon about baby Jonah.**_

_**One hour earlier...**_

_"You know what I'm not lying about? I am having a baby right here, right now. Now, you took one of those hippocratic oaths, right? Do no harm? So please, help me." Nelle responded frantically, having to lie down on the ground. "This is not happening. Oh, here comes another one." She replied after breathing through another contraction._

_"You know, I never understood the point of morality, but now, I think there might actually be something to it." Lisel responded._

_"Does that mean you'll help me?" Nelle asked._

_"Oh, make no mistake, you are a taker, quite possibly a sociopath. I recognize the glint in your eye. Not from my own reflection in the mirror, but from the man I threw away my life for. The man who killed my son." Lisel explained._

_"I'm very sorry." Nelle responded, Lisel giving her a side eye look._

_"No, you're not. You care about you and no one else. How do I know? That kind of selfishness radiates from the core." Lisel replied._

_"It's not true." Nelle responded as she had an eerie feeling that her life was slipping away._

_"Oh, it is. However, it is possible for something good to come out of someone so very bad. It happened with my son. Perhaps it can happen with your child." Lisel replied before she crouched down… and her eyes widened, her quickly untying the umbilical cord from the baby's neck. "Nelle… spread those scrawny legs and push!" She responded, Nelle doing so._

_Nelle let out one last smile as her baby boy cried… and her eyes closed, Lisel wrapping the baby up in Nelle's scarf after cleaning him off._

_"I remember when my babies were this small… time really does go by fast, little one…" Lisel whispered as she cradled the newborn in her arms after checking Nelle for a pulse… and knowing that there was no chance of reviving her._

_Lisel heard footsteps and turned around, seeing Harper and Brayden look away in horror at seeing a dead body._

_Even if it was Nelle, it still shook the young couple badly… and standing up, Lisel placed the newborn in Harper's arms._

_"Get him out of here and to the hospital, you two." Lisel replied before watching them leave._

_Brayden helped Harper into the passenger seat of the Equinox as she cradled the infant, who's eyes opened… and he cooed at them, the two smiling._

_"He's a beautiful little baby…" Harper responded._

_"He is, Love. Let's go get him checked over." Brayden replied, helping Harper buckle up before closing the door and getting into the driver's side before he buckled up._

_He closed the door, driving off as Harper kept the baby calm by softly singing to him when he started to fuss._

_'Damn it, I told you and Michael both that this plan wouldn't go how you envisioned it going, Chase! Why didn't either of you listen to me?!' Harper thought, Brayden lightly rubbing her left knee._

_"They risked this little guy's life… Nelle was no saint but Chase and Michael should've gone about things differently to try to put her away for Zach's murder." Brayden responded as they reached General Hospital._

_They rushed into the ER, Kim getting them into a triage room and checking the newborn over._

_And when Harper went to go call Michael, she stopped and put her LG Aristo 2 away after seeing Brad and Lucas holding each other with tears running down their faces._

_"I tried to revive him, I…" Brad sobbed, Lucas rubbing his back._

_"We'll grieve together and get through this together… that's what Wiley would want." Lucas responded softly._

_Harper felt tears running down her own face, having held Wiley earlier and there having been no indication that he was dying._

_And her hands went to her own barely there baby bump, thinking about the child she and Brayden would welcome into this world in almost 6 months._

_When Brayden checked on her, he saw the tears on his fiancee's face and brushed them away._

_"Wiley's gone." Harper responded quietly, Brayden pulling her into his arms as they held each other and tears ran down his face._

_The baby boy that they had gotten attached to was taken away so suddenly… and it broke their hearts…_

**Present time…**

Michael, Sonny and Chase ran into the ER, finding Harper, Brayden and Kim.

"He's in the NICU, being observed." Kim responded.

"He? Wait, Nelle had the baby? Where is she?" Michael questioned as he looked around, anticipating that he'd find her in one of the rooms.

"She didn't make it… bled to death. When we got there, Lisel was holding the baby. She handed him to us." Brayden explained.

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer person." Sonny responded.

And after what had happened earlier, something inside of Harper snapped.

"At the risk of your own grandchild, right?! We're not defending her or anything that she's done but what if he had died instead of Nelle, what would you say then?!" Harper replied after slapping Sonny, Brayden guiding her away from him and Sonny rubbing his face as Harper glared at Michael and Chase. "Foolproof plan, huh? No, boys, nothing's ever foolproof!" She responded with venom in her voice as Brayden and Kim got her to sit down.

"Harper, calm down, Love. Don't do this, stress isn't gonna help you and our child." Brayden whispered, Sonny's eyes going wide.

"What the hell, don't you two use protection?!" Sonny questioned, Brayden shielding Harper.

"Back off! Hate me all you want but things went too far tonight because your wife and Nelle couldn't stop trying to sabotage each other, an innocent child was far from safe from them!" Brayden replied before turning to Michael and Chase. "Was it worth it, the little boy's safety? Was it worth it, being that reckless in catching a sociopath? Chase, you might've lost your career and Michael, you really think any judge would give you custody of your son after you inadvertently killed his mother? Even with the influence that your biological and adoptive families have, I highly doubt it!" He responded before he, Harper and Kim left.

Sonny and Michael were reminded of how Duke was when he had been crossed… and it was eerie to them how much Brayden reminded them of Duke.


	2. Starting Point

_**11 weeks ago…**_

_The door to their room slammed open with authority, their minds only locked on one thing as Brayden pinned Harper against the wall as they were still half naked and his hands trailed up her body, her bra unclipping and being tossed aside._

_"All mine!" Brayden growled lowly by Harper's left ear as he trailed his lips up and down her neck, Harper's heart rate increasing again as Brayden pulled her skinny jeans down and trailed his hand down her spine, pressing her closer to him as she yanked his jeans down after unbuttoning them._

_"All yours." Harper whispered, Brayden letting out a low growl of approval before the dark haired man playfully tossed his new fiancee onto the bed and she out a light laugh as he climbed on top of her._

"_So good to me, Miss Eckert…" Brayden whispered, lightly kissing Harper's left shoulder and neck as she closed her eyes and tossed her head back… she moved her hips to him and tried to grab onto his hair but he kept her pinned down as he pulled her satin panties off._

_With a final tug of his boxers and the rest of the clothing disappearing into the darkened room, Brayden reached over on the nightstand and took a condom out of the box left in their room and he put it on… Harper's pulse was at immeasurable levels as he moved forward, the two losing awareness of everything around them._

_She tossed her head back and moaned out as she felt his fingers dig into her hips, the two moving faster once the shockwaves of unadulterated bliss hit them harder._

_By the time they crashed from the high they were on, there was nothing left of their voices left after the screams… opening his bright blue eyes, Brayden looked down at Harper, who's hazel eyes slowly opened and she looked up at him with an exhausted smile._

_Once in each others arms and tangled up in the ivory bed sheets, she rested her head on his right shoulder as his left hand rested on her hip._

_Harper Eckert was a restless soul at times and Brayden Lavery knew that all too well, the half Scottish, half Irish man glancing at her._

_Eckert was all he knew Harper as because Jenny was the woman that raised her as her own child after Bill's death… and it was taking him time to get used to her biological family much like he was hoping to forge some kind of friendship with his own brother he hadn't known about until November._

_With the exception of Drew, who hated Brayden, Harper and Jason from the minute they set foot in Port Charles, Brayden had no ill will against her families… Sly treated him like family and so did Jason._

_He wasn't exactly sure what he had done to Sonny to aggravate him… but the way Sonny tried to assert a domineering protectiveness over Harper was unnerving._

_'She's not your daughter, she's not your wife, not your little sister and not an ex of yours! So back off!' Brayden thought before he kissed Harper's forehead as she was asleep, him falling asleep seconds after._

_But neither were anticipating what would happen…_

**Present time…**

Sonny walked into the safehouse, seeing Jason and Carly… and immediately pulling Carly into an embrace, Carly seeing how rattled he was.

"What the hell happened, Sonny?" Carly questioned, her blue eyes holding worry in them.

"Michael's plan didn't go as intended… Nelle's dead." Sonny explained, Carly and Jason completely taken aback by that.

"What about the baby?" Carly asked.

"He's at GH in the NICU. Lisel had been in the woods because the police van crashed and Michael's car crashed into each other-" Sonny responded.

"Is Michael hurt?!" Carly and Jason asked simultaneously.

"Injured his knee a bit but he's okay. Lisel helped Nelle deliver the baby and Nelle… she bled to death. Lisel then handed the baby to Harper and Brayden to take to GH. I didn't think before I spoke after hearing it and Harper slapped me really damn hard." Sonny explained, Carly seeing the bruises forming on his face after they let go.

"We just wanted the truth to come out… we didn't want this." Carly replied after it started sinking in that her freedom from Ferncliff could be on borrowed time.

"Brayden and Harper were right, this plan wasn't going to go the way we, Chase and Michael intended. And no judge is gonna give custody of the baby to Michael if Nelle's death was related to the car crash. If it was, Michael could go to prison for involuntary manslaughter." Jason responded, Carly and Sonny looking at each other.

"He's right. All we can do is hope and pray that Nelle's death wasn't injury related." Carly replied.

"Only thing we can do at this point." Sonny responded.

It was when Carly was asleep and Jason had gone back home that Sonny found himself drinking that he thought back.

_"Who are you to judge who's good for anyone and who's not?!" Harper responded after Sonny had reacted badly to her getting engaged._

_"I'm trying to protect you! A long time ago… I had a sister who wasn't much younger than you when she got married to a man who did nothing but cause hell to me and it didn't take long before he started messing with her head. I don't want you to lose your mind, Harper." Sonny explained, Harper turning her attention to her Rose Quartz engagement ring… and then back to Sonny._

_"I know the man that you're talking about, I met him in 2011 after he left Port Charles. But there's a difference between Jax and Brayden. Jax is manipulative to everyone except Josslyn. Brayden isn't manipulative or cruel, he's kind, loving and protective like his father was. And I know you miss Courtney… but I'm not her, Sonny. And I'm not walking away from the man I love with all my heart." Harper responded before she left._

_Sonny sat down in his chair, head in his hands and frustration still there…_

Sonny set his glass aside, his left hand going to his face.

He knew Harper was forever tied to Brayden because of their baby as well as their strong connection to each other… and he couldn't change that even if he tried.

When morning made itself known in Port Charles, Harper swallowed a prenatal vitamin and closed the bottle before setting it back on the nightstand and sitting up as Brayden walked in with a breakfast tray before he set it down and they kissed before she ate.

Brayden had his right hand on Harper's stomach as he talked to the baby, both smiling.

And when Harper got ready for the day, she saw the faded scar on her chest... a scar left behind from heart surgery to correct a congenital heart defect in her infancy.

_'Please, Lord... don't let this little miracle suffer the same defect that I did.' _Harper thought, her hands on her stomach.

She was feeling every parent's worst fear, the fear that something was wrong with hers and Brayden's child... and she knew he felt it too.


	3. Everything Can Change Before We Know It

_**3 weeks ago…**_

_Harper waited patiently for the alarm to go off._

_As patiently as she could, glancing at her oval cut Rose Quartz engagement ring._

_Sometimes she still had trouble just believing how much had changed, the 30 year old still feeling like that 16 year old who had met her future husband when he saved her from being violated in the park in Paris, France._

_Hell, she had trouble believing how much had changed since last September, finding Jason and the rest of her biological family._

_But right now, the exhausted waitress was a different kind of scared as she glanced at the two tests on the bathroom countertop._

_Despite still not knowing Harper all that well, Sonny disapproved of the engagement and of Brayden… but Harper had laid down the line and told Sonny that she was not going to leave the man she loves with all her heart._

_'Sonny, you are gonna lose your damn mind when you find out about the baby!' Harper thought._

_The timer had snapped her out of her thoughts and Harper pressed the button and picked up both tests… and smiled when she saw that both read Positive._

_She heard the door of the apartment unlock and open before hearing "Darlin', I'm home.", Harper grabbing the tests and heading into the living room._

_42 year old Brayden saw Harper smile and the two kissed… before she put the tests on the table and he looked at them before he turned to her and smiled as his right hand rested on her stomach._

_"I… I have no idea how we're gonna tell everyone." Harper responded as they held each other._

_"We'll take our time with that for now, Harper Elena…" Brayden replied before they kissed again._

_They headed to General Hospital after Harper called Kim, who confirmed it with a blood test and ultrasound… and much like the new soon to be parents, Kim was smiling as the heartbeat echoed._

_"There's your little son or daughter, you two." Kim responded._

_"Is there any genetic screening that can be done for heart defects? She had one when she was a baby." Brayden replied._

_"At her next appointment, I can do a non invasive prenatal test. It'll scan her blood for chromosomal abnormalities but so far, baby's developing normally. I'll also have to do a nuchal translucency screening, it's a perfectly normal screening done in the first trimester." Kim explained, Harper and Brayden kissing._

_They hoped that they would have peace of mind about their baby's health…_

**Present time… **

Sonny wasn't sure when exactly he fell asleep… but he stood up, wandered into the restroom and washed his face before taking his Lithium.

Closing the prescription bottle, he set it in the medicine cabinet and towel dried his face.

But despite the medicine, he still had those angry thoughts about Harper and Brayden.

"Get a grip, Sonny! Brayden and Harper are starting a family, you should've reacted better towards them!" Sonny responded quietly.

But apparently not quiet enough as he had heard "Harper's pregnant?" and turned around, seeing Carly.

Sonny nodded… and Carly pulled him into her arms, the two holding each other.

"No wonder you were so tense and aggravated last night." Carly replied as they let go and sat down on the bed.

"I wanted to hit him… she's Jason's little sister and we haven't known her too long but I just don't feel ready to trust her with someone else." Sonny explained.

"Even though Brayden's known her much longer than you, me and Jason have. Look, it's just gonna take time to fully process everything that's changing. Lily's out in California with her husband and they're trying for a family too… we can't use Harper to replace the girl we all watched grow up, Sonny. We have to fully accept her for who she is, that includes accepting Brayden as well as their son or daughter that's coming into the world. Hell, they're most likely scared out of their minds about this. That's how I was before I had Michael. All that added stress to me and the fact that he's my firstborn scared the hell outta me. The good thing is that Harper's not gonna have two men trying to take hers and Brayden's child away because she knows who the little one's father is and they love this baby and they love each other, they're gonna be great parents." Carly replied, lightly rubbing Sonny's back to calm him.

Sonny knew that she was right.

Harper found herself feeling drained and trying to keep her eyes open during a marathon of _Magnum P.I_… and Brayden lightly rubbed her right side, the two kissing.

"Close those eyes and rest, okay?" Brayden replied.

Harper nodded, closing her tired eyes and settling into a nap… and Brayden rested his head on her stomach.

"Hey there, kiddo… everything's crazier than it should be, things got completely out of control. We're so sorry about Wiley, he was only on this earth for a short time… no parents should ever outlive their child. But we'll always honor his memory in our hearts. And we're gonna make sure that you'll be safe from everything, kiddo." Brayden responded quietly, tears running down his face as his thoughts turned to ones of how heartbroken Lucas and Brad were.

And Brayden hoped that he and Harper would never experience that same heartbreak.

A knock sounded at the door, Brayden standing up as quietly as he could and walking over to it before opening it… and letting Jason in, Jason smiling when he saw Harper getting some much needed sleep.

"How are they so far?" Jason asked.

"So far, so good. Harper and I are a little nervous about the genetic testing as well as the nuchal translucency screening next week." Brayden explained.

"Those worries, they're always there. I remember making sure that Carly was holding up okay every time… except when I left town one time. I had gotten so mad the first time that she and Sonny had gotten together, I felt betrayed when I caught them… so I left. And I wish I hadn't because they lost what would've been their first biological child together." Jason responded.

"Back at Nelle's baby shower when Monica had brought up what happened all those years ago, I saw that look in Carly's eyes… that heartbreak. She and Sonny didn't plan on having a child then but it hurt them to lose their child. But it didn't give him any right to go off at me and Harper last night." Brayden replied.

"Sonny knows now… but you're right, he had no right to go off at you and Harper. He's adding stress that you two don't need, especially not during a time that's joyful. You and my little sister are starting a family… and there's nothing more precious in this world than a child." Jason responded before both saw Harper sit up with her eyes half open.

She and Brayden kissed after he walked over, Brayden helping Harper stand up and her and Jason hugging for a few seconds.

"Where's Carly?" Harper replied.

"Out at the safehouse… but with Nelle dead, Carly's freedom from Ferncliff might not last long." Jason explained.

"Being trapped and drugged up is one of the worst feelings anyone can go through." Harper responded as Brayden rubbed his hand up and down her back.

And he knew that everything that happened in Russia still haunted her.


End file.
